The Honest Truth
by Esther-Channah
Summary: When Bruce leaves his date waiting, 10-year-old Dick keeps her entertained.


Thanks to Debbie for the beta!

Disclaimer: DC owns the characters and makes money off of them. I don't own them, and I don't.

Diana's 'aura of honesty' was mentioned in _All New Atom #17 _

**The Honest Truth**

"If Your Excellency would please be seated, the master will be here directly," Alfred said, ushering his guest into a well-appointed sitting room.

"Thank you, Alfred. And my name is Diana."

"Of course, Miss." Alfred bowed and withdrew.

Diana sat down on a Turkish divan and settled back to wait. After a quarter of an hour, she rose to her feet and began walking about the room, admiring the various paintings and statuettes that graced the walls. Bruce certainly had a fine collection of Greek-style pieces. Some of them looked almost—her eyes widened as she gently lifted the two-handled clay jug for a closer look. No, this didn't merely _look_ authentic, it _was_ authentic.

"Bruce bought that at auction last week," a light voice spoke from behind her.

Startled, Diana nearly dropped the piece of pottery. She whirled about to see a young boy standing in the doorway. He couldn't have been more than ten years old, in her judgment. How had he stolen upon her so quietly? "Who are you?" she demanded, fighting to maintain her serenity.

"I'm Dick. Dick Grayson. Bruce is going to be a little longer." He padded softly into the room. Three paces in, he hesitated. Then, with a grin, he pulled off his sneakers, dashed back out the door, and re-entered at a run. Just past the rubber plant, he turned three perfect flips, landing with his feet firmly planted on the leather ottoman. Immediately, he dropped down, perched on the edge of the stool, and rested his chin in his hand and his elbow on his knee. "So," he grinned, "how long have you and Bruce known each other?"

Diana laughed, applauding. "We met last year," she said after a moment's pause. How well did this child know Bruce? "We were formally introduced at the Wayne Foundation Charity Ball." Now, she remembered. Outside of Gotham, it hadn't been front page news, but, particularly if that display of athletic prowess was anything to go on, this had to be the young acrobat Bruce had taken in several months ago. Which meant, she reflected, that he was also the brightly-clad boy who had recently been rumored to accompany Batman. "Do you enjoy living here?"

Dick nodded. "Yeah, Bruce and Alfred are really great." His smile dimmed a fraction. "Sometimes, though, I miss my folks… and the circus. But mostly, it's great being here." The smile came back full-force. "Bruce said he hoped you'd notice the jug when you got here. He didn't want to keep you waiting but he had to go out as Ba-I mean," he clapped his hands over his mouth, "I mean, he had a late board meeting."

"It's alright, Dick," Diana said. "I know he's Batman."

"Yeah, but I'm not s'posed to talk about that to anyone else. I mean, even if you know already, Bruce doesn't like it when I bring it up."

Diana reached out and touched his shoulder. "Bruce is wise," she admitted, "but I… well, did he tell you about my lasso?" she indicated the coiled rope at her hip with her free hand.

Dick nodded eagerly. "Yeah, it makes people tell the truth. If we had something like that, I bet we could get the crooks to confess a lot faster!"

"Most likely," Diana smiled. "What a lot of people don't know," she said, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "is that it isn't just the lasso that has that effect. Most people find it hard to lie… or to keep secrets… when in my presence. If you're aware of the effect, you can resist it, but you weren't." She nodded encouragingly when Dick blinked at her. "And don't worry. Bruce knows all about it."

Dick smiled back, relief plain on his face.

"I didn't see the signal go up earlier," Diana mused. "But if he hasn't returned by now, perhaps we ought to go out to look for him?"

Dick glanced up sharply. Diana smiled at him. "I can wait while you put on something more… appropriate for going out at this hour."

Dick's smile grew wider, but he shook his head. "No, it's not like that. It's just…" He ducked his head. "He's not patrolling," he whispered. "He had to go out in a hurry because—"

"Diana!" Bruce interrupted.

Dick whirled, wondering how long he'd been standing there, one hand outstretched, the other hidden behind his back.

"Hello, Bruce," Diana greeted him, walking forward.

"Has Dick been keeping you entertained?" He brought his other hand forward to reveal a bouquet of delicate white, purple, and pink blossoms. "I apologize for being late," he said softly, "but I had to do a bit of detective work to find this. I hope you like it."

Diana's eyes grew wide. "Sweet violet, Gallic rose, narcissus… oh, Bruce." Her hand trembled slightly. "I haven't seen blooms like these since I left Themiscyra. Thank you." She rested a hand on Dick's shoulder. "And Dick is a remarkable young man. As I'm sure you're already aware."

Bruce nodded. "That he is," he agreed. Then, in a different tone, "He's also a young man up past his bedtime on a school night. If you could just excuse me one minute more," he beckoned to Dick. "C'mon, Chum."

"So," Bruce asked once they were upstairs, "what do you think of her?"

"I like her," Dick said seriously. "She's… awesome."

"Yes."

"And she knows about… stuff."

"Stuff?" Bruce repeated. Then he nodded understanding. "Oh. Stuff. Yes, she does."

"Think she might want to patrol with us one night?"

Bruce reached over and tousled the boy's hair. "You never know, chum. You never know."


End file.
